The viral saga “DoorDash Girl” unleashed a nightmare for black creators
On DoorDash delivery Levi’s driver Rose Henderson released a video in which she claims she was sexually assaulted by a customer in October, sparking a firestorm of backlash.
Henderson’s TikTok claimed that when he was making a delivery in Oswego, New York, he saw the customer’s front door wide open and inside, a man on a couch in pants and underwear down to his ankles. Henderson has been dubbed “Dash Girl,” and her video has garnered tens of millions of views, including some supportive and comforting responses to what she says she endured as a young woman. Many others on the platform made commentary videos that questioned Henderson’s alleged victimization, defended the client and spread misinformation, with TikTok’s algorithm apparently boosting these “hot pictures.” Then, after Henderson’s arrest on Nov. 10 — he’s been charged with illegal surveillance and the release of illegal surveillance footage — a new wave of backlash emerged. (The police have denied her sexual assault claim.)
No response was received from Black Content creator and journalist Mirlie Larose.
But LaRose opened up TikTok one day to find dozens of messages from friends and supporters concerned about her reaction to the customer-friendly situation and DoorDash’s decision to terminate Henderson. (Henderson was fired for sharing a customer’s personal information online, DoorDash spokesman Jeff Rosenberg tells WIRED.) As LaRose stared in disbelief at the video, he second-guessed himself for a few seconds as he became fired up with concerns about the comment section “ripping him off.”
“Did I film this?” he asked. “This is my face, this is my hair.”
“Then, within three or four seconds, I knew something was off. There’s no way to tell. [want to] Talk about it.” Laros tells WIRED.
This situation highlights a growing form of digital blackface, fueled by the rise of generative artificial intelligence. The term, popularized by cultural critic Lauren Michelle Jackson, describes various types of “minor performance” on the Internet. There seems to be an overexposure of reactive gifs, memes, TikToks, and other visual and textual media that use black imagery, slang, gestures, and culture. TikTok’s reliance on short-form, attention-grabbing video content, along with apps like Sora 2, has made it much easier for non-black creators and bot accounts to exploit black racist stereotypes using deepfakes. This is also known as digital blackfish.
In the midst of the DoorDash/Henderson controversy, users on TikTok noticed two videos in particular: one from a bot account and another from a real black content creator parroting the same script. They took apparently DARVO (Victim-Offender Denial, Attack, and Reversal) positions, minimizing Henderson’s allegations and justifying her termination: “I saw the original video posted by the DoorDash girl, and … I understand why DoorDash fired you and why you were banned from the program.” Videos continues, “As for the guy, I can see why everyone is saying he did it on purpose. But when you look at the original video, that couch isn’t in your view unless you angle yourself and look at it, and if you really want to break it down, he’s inside his house.” In a statement on Facebook, the Oswego Police Department said the man was incapacitated and passed out on his couch from alcohol and that the video was taken outside his home. Police also said they “have determined that no sexual assault occurred.”
